Dive Area Buoy Project at Seacrest Park Completed

[JackConnick]

Press release from Seattle Parks

Dive Area Buoy Project at Seacrest Park Completed

To help increase diver safety at the popular Seacrest Boathouse and Pier in West Seattle, the City of Seattle has installed a series of new marine navigation buoys. The purposes are to help increase safety awareness by boaters and to further separate divers from nearby activities, including the Elliott Bay Water Taxi.

This effort began in 2004, when Seattle Parks and Recreation first applied for a permit from the US Coast Guard. That permit application also required endorsements from Army Corps of Engineers, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, and others. Review and discussions continued and finally resulted in a permit to install three navigation buoys, white with orange markings and clearly labeled “WARNING – Watch for Divers.”

Seattle Police Harbor Patrol took the lead on installation of the buoys. Sgt Kevin Haistings partnered with the US Coast Guard to put the anchors in place. Harbor Patrol attached the chains and completed the installation. To protect natural plants or animals along the bottom surface by keeping the chain off the bottom even at the lowest tide, secondary “cantenary” buoys were installed. Parks provided all of the materials for the project.

The City has also installed a series of smaller yellow buoys as a reference point for divers, fishermen, and boaters. These are set along the line that defines the area around the Seacrest pier that is closed to divers. Diving is not allowed within 150 feet of the Seacrest Fishing Pier. The perimeter is marked underwater with a rope line and at the surface with several buoys. Signs along the shoreline provide a map of the closed area. (SMC 16.28.020.A3). At the surface, these buoys are visible to boaters, and on the bottom the anchors are set along the underwater line that is visible to divers. This line and buoys are being maintained by the dive community through an on-going work dives as needed.

Behind the scenes, a small core group of volunteers provided ongoing assistance with these projects. Their expertise, information, and advice helped guide the projects and keep them on track.

“Thanks are due to all of the volunteers who have helped with litter control and used their creativity to find a way to clean the underwater line,” said Parks Aquatics Manager Kathy Whitman. “Their outstanding work has improved safety for all divers. Special recognition is due to Jack Connick of Marker Buoy Dive Club and JD Rowe of the Boeing Seahorses, who have been solid contributors to numerous efforts at Seacrest.”

Seacrest is a heavily used park that offers a combination of active and passive recreation activities. Seattle Parks strives constantly for a balance that ensures that other activities are not affected by changes as they take place at the park. Please be aware of the need to focus on the issues of overuse and increased popularity. Ms. Whitman indicates “We are grateful for the efforts of many recreational divers to educate other divers; these positive contributions help to reduce problems at this popular park.”

Within the Seattle parks and recreation system, Seacrest is the most popular location for recreational divers. The terrain and mild currents make this an ideal location for beginning divers. The City encourages divers to engage in common courtesies and respectful behaviors that make them good partners and neighbors at the park:

• Use dive flags whenever diving in the coves. The new white hazardous area cove buoys are ideal places to tie your dive flag floats to and use as down lines. Tying dive flags to the yellow buoys is not recommended, as they are on the edge of the non-diving area.
• Please carpool to the park whenever possible, as parking is limited.
• Please set tanks on the grass instead of on the pathway, but stay clear of grass areas that are showing signs of overuse and need time to become reestablished.
• Please gather in small groups, as noise carries to neighbors.
• Please use quiet voices and avoid clanking tanks early in the morning.
• Use the rinse shower provided at the site, as sand clogs the drain the public restroom.

OK to repost

 

[JackConnick]

The installation of the rope barrier and cove buoys have finally been completed in Seacrest Park in West Seattle after years of delays due to the permitting process. While that long process was frustrating, it does have a bigger meaning in my opinion.

In year’s past when the city brought in the Water Taxi or made policy decisions regarding park use they didn’t consult the dive community. That changed when they were going to make a 300’ no-diving area around the pier and effectively block access to Cove 2. The dive community, usually polarized came together and made themselves heard, due to the efforts of JD Roe and others. We formed some groups and began talking with the city about how we could continue to use the park. From that came the idea of the rope barrier and buoy system.

Without divers respecting these boundaries, we would not have the access to the park that we continue to enjoy today. We also asked for a rinse shower and installation of benches in the restroom while the iron was hot and they were put in.

The white dive buoys are about the closest thing we could legally install as a “permanent dive flag” as divers use the coves nearly 360/24/7. BUT they should not be confused with proper dive flag usage – dive flags are still required. Use the white buoys to tie your flags to and use as down lines; they are in about 40-60’ of water.

Getting back to the bigger picture I alluded to? By going through the formal permit process we have made all the applicable bodies; State DNR, Army Corp of Engineers, US Coast Guard, and the City of Seattle formally recognize the park and coves as official dive areas. That is a sea change in policy and an important “moral” victory for the dive community that may weigh heavily in our favor in years to come.

Others and myself are continuing efforts in behalf of divers to ask the city for additional site improvements, access and facilities. I feel that we have done our share of “Quid pro” and now it’s our turn for some “Quo”! Some will cost something, some are policy and access issues that won’t. Dollars are very tight, but we have been offered some donations and will try to push some ideas forward. It’s a slow process, but one I take a good deal of satisfaction from.

What can you do? We will continue to have work parties to maintain the buoys and rope barrier system. Most importantly, we need divers, and particularly classes and groups, to please be good neighbors; it greatly affects our relationship with the city and makes negotiations much easier for future improvements.

(ok to repost)